Calls for city-run pools to remain open longer

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This article was published 16/08/2023 (795 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

City of Winnipeg wading pools have begun to shut down for the season — even though summer isn’t over — and the timing of the closures is making waves with some parents.

“I think (they’re) closing them… way too early. We still have hot weather… and for so many people, that’s their only refuge from the heat,” said Candace Weselowski. “I think (they should be open until) at least after the first week of school.”

Most wading pools will close for the season between Aug. 15 and 25. The final six will close at end-of-day on Sept. 4.

Weselowski said she’s most concerned for folks who lack air-conditioning. She believes it would be worth spending more tax dollars to extend the swimming/splashing season.

“How much more does it really add to the tax burden for a few more days to give some people comfort, relief from heat?” she said.

The six city wading pools that will stay open until Sept. 4 include those at the Central, Dakota, Ducharme, Keenleyside, McKittrick and St. John’s parks.

The Happyland, Windsor Park and Provencher outdoor pools will be open until end-of-day Sept. 1, while the Fort Garry Lions outdoor pool will close on Sept. 3. The Freight House, Kildonan Park, St. Vital, Transcona Aquatic Park and Westdale outdoor pools will close after regular hours on Sept. 4.

The city’s spray pads are expected to remain open until 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 4.

The head of the city’s largest union echoed the call to keep all cooling amenities open into September, especially since climate change is expected to make extreme heat more common.

“I most certainly believe they should be extended. This is a very important service. There’s a lot of families that don’t have cottages, don’t have a pool in their backyard. In the inner city, there’s families that don’t have air conditioning and this is a place for kids to go and cool off,” said Gord Delbridge, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 500.

Delbridge said he believes the short season is linked to ongoing staff shortages, which are complicated by the fact some wading pool maintenance staff also prepare and maintain city-owned ice rinks.

“There is most certainly a retention issue and a recruitment issue,” he said.

However, council’s community services chairman said it is logical to close unheated pools first, since overnight temperatures can plummet well below daytime highs, even in August.

“I don’t think my kids would enjoy heading out to a pool that’s been exposed to, potentially, some plus-10 temperatures overnight,” said Coun. Evan Duncan.

While he concedes it may sound easy to keep all city pools, splash pads and wading pools open into September, Duncan said extending the season would require extra resources and reduce the time available to complete pre-winter maintenance and transfer staff to work at other city facilities.

“In a perfect world, yeah, if we had unlimited resources to have (all wading pools) open… I’d love to keep everything open,” said Duncan.

Coun. Russ Wyatt said he will immediately ask the mayor and members of executive policy committee to extend the closure dates for all three types of seasonal water amenities until after the September long weekend.

“A lot of the kids in the city don’t have the option of going out camping or renting a cottage … The wading pools are their lake,” said Wyatt. “We could get a bout of hot weather and kids don’t have anywhere to go to cool off … This is important, not just in terms of recreation but in terms of mental health.”

Pool closure dates appear to vary in Canadian cities. In Regina, for example, one outdoor pool will close Sept. 3, while three others will close Sept. 4 and another will shut down Sept. 17. That city does not have wading pools. Its spray pads will close sometime in September, with the exact date based on weather, officials confirmed.

A request to interview someone from the City of Winnipeg’s recreation department was not granted on Wednesday. In an email, a city spokesman said a staggered schedule in which Winnipeg’s public wading pools begin to close around mid-August has been in place “for more than a decade.” Closures started on Aug. 17 last year.

“This is done for a few notable reasons, including, attendance at our facilities tends to decrease as the summer season winds down towards the end of August, and as families start to prepare for the upcoming school year (and) it tends to get a bit colder towards the end of August, contributing to a decrease in attendance at non-heated pools and wading pools, which is why they are the first to close,” wrote Adam Campbell.

Campbell noted the city has increased its number of spray pads over recent years, which do remain open longer than wading pools. The city also considers the level of need and attendance at each wading pool to help determine which ones should stay open the longest, he said.

While the city is currently short nine arena attendants (who also close and winterize wading pools and spray pads), staffing challenges have “no bearing” on these seasonal closures, said Campbell.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga